The invention relates to an amplifier device for broadband amplification of an electric input signal fed from a signal source, the amplifier device comprising at least one broad band amplifier element with an amplifier input for feeding the input signal. Such an amplifier device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,741. The invention further relates to the use of such an amplifier device.
Such an amplifier device is used, for example, as a preamplifier of an ultrasonic device. In this case, an electric input signal, which is generated, for example, by an ultrasonic transducer from a received acoustic signal and which can, in particular, have a very low signal level, is amplified in the amplifier device for a downstream signal processing (not described in more detail here). In the receive mode, the ultrasonic transducer constitutes a signal source for the electric input signal to be amplified by the amplifier device. This amplification should be performed over as broad a band as possible in order not to diminish the information content unnecessarily. The broader the band over which an ultrasonic device which works using the pulse-echo method is operated, the shorter is the time duration which can thereby be achieved for the pulse response received from an object to be examined. The spatial resolution, and thus the imaging quality also rise with the temporal resolution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,303 discloses a specific imaging method for an ultrasonic device. In this so-called THI (Tissue Harmonic Imaging) method, the first harmonic of the received acoustic signal is also evaluated in addition. This first harmonic is the second harmonic of a fundamental frequency of the sound signal irradiated into the object to be examined. It is formed because of a non-linearity of the human tissue provided in this case as the object to be examined. An amplifier device used in the receiver branch in this context should therefore be designed to cover sufficient bandwidth in order still to amplify the first harmonic without falsification. The fundamental frequency for an ultrasonic device currently in conventional use in medical technology is of the order of magnitude of a few megahertz.
As a rule, a piezoelectric electroacoustic transducer is used. In the case of reception, it is typified, inter alia, by a capacitor connected in parallel with the electroacoustic transducer output. An amplifier device such as described in the text book entitled xe2x80x9cPiezoxide-Wandlerxe2x80x9d [Piezoxide Transducersxe2x80x9d] by J. Koch, 1973, Valvo GmbH Hamburg, Pages 157 and 158, or else in U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,010 is currently being used in order to compensate the influence of this parallel capacitor on the frequency response. In the case of this amplifier device, the influence of the parallel capacitor of the ultrasonic transducer is at least partially compensated by means of an inductor connected in series or parallel with the electroacoustic transducer output or the amplifier input. Overall, however, there is still always one frequency response exhibiting the bandpass response. The consequence of this is that a frequency component situated widely distant from the fundamental frequency is strongly damped in the amplifier device. Usually, a relative bandwidth (=bandwidth related to a center or fundamental frequency) of approximately 100% is achieved with the known amplifier device. It is thereby possible to operate an electroacoustic transducer with a fundamental frequency, of, for example, 3 MHz, for example in the range from 1.5 to 4.5 MHz.
A broadband amplifier device for a video head is described in EP 0 264 812 A2. An amplifier element with positive feedback is used in the amplifier device described.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,309 discloses a broadband electric shunt device for connecting to a piezoelectric resonator which is used to control the vibration of a structure. In this case, the piezoelectric resonator is arranged on the structure such that it is possible for the vibrations of this structure to be damped or controlled. The connection to the shunt device renders it possible to control vibration in a wide frequency range. For this purpose, a subcircuit of the shunt device is designed as a current-reversing negative impedance converter. The shunt device is passive. In particular, it is not connected electrically to another unit, nor does it make an amplified signal available.
The object of the invention is to specify an amplifier device of the type described at the beginning which permits broadband amplification of the input signal. The aim is also to specify a particularly advantageous use of the amplifier device.
An amplifier device corresponding to the features of patent claim 1 or of patent claim 6 is specified for the purpose of achieving the object relating to the device.
The amplifier device according to the invention for broadband amplification of an electric input signal fed from a signal source is a device comprising at least
one broadband amplifier element with an amplifier input for feeding the input signal, and with an input impedance, active at the amplifier input, in the form of an amplifier reactance which serves to compensate a source reactance active at a source output;
the amplifier element in which case designed as a current-reversing negative impedance converter which comprises a broadband INIC amplifier element with a first and a second input, respectively, and with an output, the output is fed back via a first INIC impedance and via a second INIC impedance respectively to the first and the second input, respectively, and the second input is led to frame via a third INIC impedance; and
the first input is simultaneously the amplifier input, and the output is simultaneously an amplifier output at which there is present an output signal generated from the input signal by means of amplification.
The amplifier device according to the invention for broadband amplification of an electric input signal fed from a signal source is, alternatively, a device comprising:
one broadband and high-resistance amplifier element with an amplifier input for feeding the input signal, and with an input impedance, active at the amplifier input, in the form of an amplifier reactance which serves to compensate a source reactance active at a source output; and
one current-reversing negative impedance converter which is connected at the amplifier input in parallel with the broadband and high-resistance amplifier element, and whose INIC input impedance forms the amplifier reactance, in which the current-reversing negative impedance converter comprises a broadband INIC amplifier element with a first and a second input, and with an output, the output is fed back via a first INIC impedance and via a second INIC impedance respectively to the first and the second input, respectively, and the second input is led to frame via a third INIC impedance.
The invention is based in this case on the finding that the frequency response, determined decisively by the source reactance, of the signal source can be substantially more effectively compensated, that is to say smoothed, by an amplifier reactance which is provided in the amplifier device and determined by an input impedance of a current-reversing negative impedance converter, than by connecting a simple inductor, as is done in the prior art, for example in conjunction with a piezoelectric electroacoustic transducer. The compensation by means of the amplifier reactance according to the invention is not based in this case on a resonant tuning, which always leads to a bandpass response and thus to a useful bandwidth which is, as before, relatively restricted. By contrast, the influence of the source reactance and the influence of the amplifier reactance on the frequency response largely cancel one another out, at least within a useful bandwidth. In the ideal case of complete compensation, what is thereby achieved is a response as if the source reactance were not present at all.
This raises the useful bandwidth of the input signal, and an output signal amplified over a very broad band is obtained at the output of the amplifier device. In this case, broad band is understood as a useful bandwidth whose upper cutoff frequency is at least double, in particular at least three times the value of a fundamental frequency of the input signal. The upper cutoff frequency can even rise without difficulty up to over fifty times the fundamental frequency with the aid of the amplifier reactance according to the invention.
The current-reversing negative impedance converter used in the amplifier device is also denoted by INIC. The leading xe2x80x9cIxe2x80x9d stands in this case for a current reversal brought about by this arrangement, and the remainder is an abbreviation for the English term xe2x80x9cNegative Impedance Converterxe2x80x9d. Any desired negative impedance can be generated with the aid of an appropriately dimensioned INIC. Consequently, INIC is particularly good for use in the broadband amplifier device, since an amplifier reactance which has precisely the opposite sign to the source reactance is provided for expanding the useful frequency band.
The current-reversing negative impedance converter includes a broadband INIC amplifier element which is designed, for example, in the form of an operational amplifier. The broadband design ensures that, in conjunction with the signal source, the amplifier device has a broad useful frequency range overall. The INIC amplifier element has a first and a second input as well as an output, which is fed back to the first and the second inputs by a first INIC impedance and by a second INIC impedance, respectively. However, the second input is connected to frame by a third INIC impedance. The current-reversing negative impedance converter generates the desired amplifier reactance with the aid of this circuit.
In the first alternative as claimed in patent claim 1, the current-reversing negative impedance converter serves simultaneously as amplifier reactance and as broadband amplifier element. The input impedance of the current-reversing negative impedance converter compensates the source reactance. At the same time, a signal which is proportional to the input signal can be tapped at the output of the INIC amplifier element. The proportionality factor is given in this case by the desired gain. The amplifier device then manages with a very low number of individual components, and can therefore be produced cost-effectively.
In the second alternative as claimed in patent claim 6, in which the current-reversing negative impedance converter is connected at the amplifier input in parallel with a broadband amplifier element, this additional amplifier element is preferably designed with a high resistance. In this context, an amplifier element is of high resistance when, at least within the useful bandwidth, the absolute value of its input impedance is greater at least by the factor 5, in particular at least by the factor 10, than the absolute value of the amplifier reactance, which is formed by the input impedance of the current-reversing negative impedance converter. This broadband and high-resistance amplifier element carries out the actual amplification of the input signal after the compensation of the frequency response by the current-reversing negative impedance converter. Owing to the high-resistance embodiment, the signal source is not subjected to a load. This has a favorable influence on the frequency response particularly in the case of a signal source designed as a piezoelectric electroacoustic transducer, since a series resonant circuit of the electroacoustic transducer is then de-energized, and therefore exerts no influence on the frequency response.
A source impedance (=output impedance of the signal source) can be determined at the output of the signal source. The source reactance to be compensated can now be either equal to or else a fraction of this source impedance. The effectiveness at the source output means that the source reactance can be connected in parallel, or else in series with the source output. The source reactance can be of capacitive or inductive design, or else assume a desired mixed form, for example that of an undamped resonant circuit.
As in the complex calculation of alternating current, reactance is generally understood here as the imaginary part of a complex impedance Z=R+jX. The real part R is denoted as active resistance or resistance, and the imaginary part X as reactive resistance, impedance or simply as reactance. A distinction can be made between the two basic types of an inductive and a capacitive reactance XL and XC, respectively. Their calculated values are XL=2xcfx80fL and XC=xe2x88x92xc2xdxcfx80fC, respectively, given an inductance value L, a capacitance value C and the frequency f. They differ from one another both in sign and in the structure of their frequency dependence (proportional or inversely proportional to the frequency f).
Strictly speaking, therefore, compensation is achieved only for a single frequency value in the course of the known resonant tuning, in the case of which a capacitive source reactance is connected to an inductive amplifier reactance. By contrast therewith, an amplifier reactance in the form of an INIC input impedance even leads in an ideal case to compensation at all frequencies.
Advantageous refinements of the amplifier device in accordance with the invention follow from the dependent claims.
In an advantageous embodiment, the amplifier reactance and the source reactance respectively have the same absolute value. This equality holds for all frequencies in the ideal case, but at least within the useful bandwidth. This then yields a very good compensation of the source reactance, and a high useful overall bandwidth of the amplifier device results.
A favorable embodiment is one in which the first and the second INIC impedances are of purely capacitive design. The frequency response of the first and the second INIC impedances then cancel one another out and no longer contribute to the overall frequency response. Moreover, capacitively designed first and second INIC impedances make no contribution of their own to the noise of the amplifier device. The design of the third INIC impedance is governed by the source reactance to be compensated. It can be both of inductive and of capacitive design.
The amplifier device can be used with particular advantage in an ultrasonic device because of the high frequency bandwidth that can be achieved. It then serves, in particular, as a preamplifier which preamplifies an input signal generated by an ultrasonic transducer, particularly over a broad band for further processing in the ultrasonic device. The ultrasonic transducer supplying the input signal then constitutes the signal source. In particular, what is termed a static parallel capacitance of the ultrasonic transducer decisively determines the reactive fraction of the output impedance of the ultrasonic transducer, which is compensated by the amplifier reactance. The parallel capacitance therefore constitutes the source reactance to be compensated.
In principle, however, the amplifier device can also be used for the connection of another signal source. In particular, this signal source can also be an (ideal) current source with a parallel reactance. Also possible is an (ideal) voltage source with a series reactance.